A School Without Grades or Grades

I ran across the article below that made me reminisce about a debate frequently had throughout my career. Why are students grouped by age into grade levels?

We know that kids develop at different rates and times throughout their lives. We also know that the world of work does not mirror this standardized view of development (in most cases). So then, why do we believe that every 10 year old should know the same things, learn them at the same time, and in the same way? Differentiated instruction has made some headway in personalizing the manner in which students learn, but pacing guides and standardized assessments do not provide much leeway for schools to truly group students by ability.

This article also speaks about removing A-F type of grading scales. I haven't explored this concept as much, but if this is increasing student success in their district, I am open to learning more.

Check out the article below from EdSurge and let me know your thoughts. I am becoming more and more in favor of a flexible grouping system that crosses ages and grades.

Goodbye ABCs: How One State is Moving Beyond Grade Levels and Graded Assessments https://www.edsurge.com/news/2017-05-16-goodbye-abcs-how-one-state-is-moving-beyond-grade-levels-and-graded-assessments #edtech via @EdSurge

#grading #grades #education #school #learning #teaching